


From the Brink

by shifty_cat



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 09:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18962941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shifty_cat/pseuds/shifty_cat
Summary: Joker has a run in with Despair.





	From the Brink

**Author's Note:**

> Energy Shower is a pretty good skill.

It was those goddamn floating starfish again. Normally, they'd be no trouble at all, one smack from Skull's pipe or Queen's knuckles being enough to knock one of them on their... whatever the starfish equivalent of an ass was. This time, however, their enemies had gotten the drop on them. Before they could get a hit in, one of the starfish fixed it's single eye on Joker as it began to spin. He clutched at his head and fell to his knees as an ominous voice rang out in his mind.

"All that you have done shall come to naught. Your pathetic friends shall die a shameful death and be forgotten in an unknown grave in an unseen land."

As he struggled to stand, images of inevitable doom flooded his vision, paralyzing him with despair. Everything they had accomplished, everything they were still working towards, would all be meaningless. They would never be able to help anyone again, and the world would continue on in its distortion, rewarding the wicked for their cruel exploitation of the weak. Takemi would be forced out of medicine, a scapegoat for the pride of her old boss. Kawakami would continue to be extorted, forced into increasingly degrading work for the crime of caring about her student. He had failed them. He had failed...

And he had led his team to their graves. The people who cared about him the most, who had trusted him. He had failed them all, and they would die for his failure. Their young lives would be snuffed out, over before they truly began, never able to achieve their dreams, and it was all his fault. Their trust in him had been their fatal mistake. He had failed everyone he loved, and had sentenced them to die alone and forgotten inside the mind of a criminal. Ryuji would never have the chance to prove he was more than the delinquent everyone saw him as. Ann would never get to inspire others with her strength. Futaba would never be able to re-enter the world. Yusuke's artistic vision would die with him. Morgana would never find out who he really was. He had failed them all...

Worst of all, he had failed Makoto. His foolish quest had doomed the woman he loved more than anything in the world. Her dream of becoming a police commissioner would never come true. She would never have the chance to repair her relationship with her sister. Every moment they had shared would evaporate before the inexorable hand of death. He had been the worst thing to ever happen to her, the seal on her fate. He could feel his consciousness slipping away as he cursed himself for ruining the one life that was most precious to him. He had failed her...

As his mind began to fade, Joker found himself enveloped in a soft shower of light, as a familiar pair of crimson eyes fixed him in a glare that demanded that he not give up. As he looked up into the light of those eyes, a gentle voice echoed through his mind.

"It's not the best souvenir... but it will remind you of the memories we made today."

"If, um... If it's alright with you... let's start dating, for real."

"I think now I'll be able to see the world even more differently. Actually, I'm sure I can. Because... I have you."

"Please stay with me forever, Akira."

"Hey, um... can we hold hands on our way to the station?"

As the visions of doom cleared from Joker's eyes, he looked up to see his fellow Thieves regarding him with worried expressions, as Anat faded back into her home within Queen's soul. Seeing that he had recovered from his Despair, Queen let out a relieved sigh, then gave him a confident grin and a nod. 

He returned her nod, then turned to the offending Decarabia, dashing in to give it a solid slash with his dagger, knocking it onto its back, then raising his hand to tag in Queen to take out the next one.

***

After the battle, while they gathered the money and materials left behind by the evaporated Shadows, Joker had a thought. "Hey, what does it feel like when Queen uses Energy Shower on one of you?"

Panther thought for a moment, remembering the last time she had a mental ailment removed. "Um, it's kind of hard to describe. It feels... good, I guess. Like there's this soft light coming down onto you, and then you see Queen's eyes, giving you a look like 'you need to get up, you need to get back in the fight.' And then you just sort of feel better." Everyone else nodded in agreement. "Why? Is it different for you?"

Joker shook his head with a bit of a blush. "N-no, it's pretty much the same for me."

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one shot based on a conversation with the wonderful Zinzanzelf. If you aren't already reading (Bring Me) Past the Gloom, you should, because it's great.


End file.
